What a coincidence!

After months of pleading, the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) has finally decided to heed the public’s call and patch the disintegrated road surface of Boundary Street. This street is one of the most used roadways in town as it connects the major pre-, primary and high schools in the area with the CBD. It has deteriorated to such an extent that motorists have sought alternative routes to school in the mornings which resulted in heavy congestion in Peace, Park and King Edward streets.

Following a hefty battle with the GTM and weekly reports on their failure to step up to their mandate and fix the roads within their jurisdiction, motorists have started noticing the difference. Boundary Street had, for some odd reason, been overlooked as the rest of the roads in the CBD and neighbourhoods around the schools were patched first.

On Tuesday morning at 09:00, we went to Boundary Street and photographed various sections of the affected road for yet another article pleading for its restoration. Not 30 minutes later a municipal road crew suddenly appeared and started patch work.

It is not clear why they suddenly arrived on the scene, coincidentally at the very moment we were conducting investigations there. We asked one of the crew members who said that someone had called them. Who?

While the workmanship is shoddy at best, and will possibly only outlast the winter season, at least Tzaneen motorists can now once again use Boundary Street for their daily commute. You might need to reprogram the GPS though, as it might now be named Colander Street.
An even more serious concern is the municipality’s absolute disregard of the two massive sinkholes along Agatha Road which we reported on in August 2016 for the first time, and twice more since. No response was given to any enquiries sent to the GTM on the matter and nothing has been done at either of the two sites.

When three people died in an accident because of one of these sinkholes, a year ago, it was thought that they might spring into action, but alas, nothing. It is as if those sinkholes don’t exist. Perhaps three more lives need to be lost to kick-start the reparation process?